Contact: Jeff Clarke
Foundation appoints new program officer
Anchorage - Sammye Pokryfki, Executive Director of the United Way of Mat-Su, will join the Rasmuson Foundation as a Program Officer. She brings a wealth of experience to the role, where she will focus primarily on the Foundation’s work with social-service-related issues. “Sammye brings significant community leadership experience to her role as program officer. Coupled with her knowledge of the state’s health and human service system, we will look to her to inform and develop the Foundation’s comprehensive, long term approach to investing in the human services sector”, commented Foundation President Diane Kaplan.
During her 4-year tenure at United Way Mat-Su, Sammye oversaw the continued development of a responsive, integrated local health and human service system to meet the needs of the state’s fastest growing area. During this time, workplace giving and agency allocations increased by 66%. Prior to her work with the United Way, Pokryfki spent 5 years working in various roles with Mat-Su Valley social service agencies Chugiak Children’s Services and Mat-Su Recovery Center. Sammye serves on the Alaska Board of Social Examiners; as a Trustee of the Valley Hospital Board; as a member of the Foraker Group Operations Board; and as a member of the Frontiersman Community Advisory Board. A Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in Alaska, she earned a BA in English, a BS in Social Work, and an MS in Social Work, each from the University of Alaska Anchorage.
The Rasmuson Foundation was created under a declaration of trust in May of 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband, "E.A." Rasmuson. Their son Elmer wrote, "Helping others is an Alaskan tradition. Both the earliest Alaskans and those who came here to settle had to rely on one another to build a good community and a good life." Today, the Rasmuson Foundation continues this tradition by supporting non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life for people throughout the state. By assisting these groups that address basic needs, arts and culture, and projects that address special circumstances, the Rasmuson Foundation contributes to healthy, enriched and productive lives for Alaskans of all ages.
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